Bharat Biotech launches first-ever typhoid conjugate vaccine

27 Aug 2013, BioSpectrum Bureau , BioSpectrum

Bangalore: Bharat Biotech launched the world's first clinically proven typhoid conjugate vaccine Typbar-TCV, a fourth generation vaccine against typhoid disease, proven to provide long term protection to adults and infants six months and older.

Currently available typhoid vaccines fall short in two major characteristics, namely long term protection and immunity for children below two years of age, the population that needs it the most.

During its development since 2005, Typbar-TCV was evaluated in around 1,200 healthy subjects at nine clinical sites. In the pivotal phase III clinical study, Typbar-TCV presented 98 percent sero-conversion in infants aged six months-to-24 months, 99 percent in children between two-to-15 years of age, and 92 percent in the 15-to-45 year age group, as measured by four fold increase in serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) responses. It proved to be superior to the Vi polysaccharide typhoid vaccines. Typbar-TCV was also safe and well tolerated in all tested age groups.

Bharat Biotech has commenced commercial production of Typbar-TCV in pre-filled syringes in its vaccine production facility in Genome Valley, Hyderabad. The plant has capacity to produce 10 million doses each year, expandable to 50 million doses per year in the future. Bharat Biotech is the largest producer and supplier of Vi typhoid vaccine in the world, having distributed over 50 million doses globally. Typbar-TCV is available for supplies to global markets such as South East Asia, South America, Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia.

Acknowledging the effort of his team of scientists that led to this innovation Dr Krishna M Ella, chairman and managing director, Bharat Biotech, said that, "Bharat Biotech's Typbar-TCV induces 'T' cell dependent response with much higher antibody levels providing a very high rate of immunity. We hope this vaccine will reach millions of people and help reduce the burden of this devastating disease in infants and children."